2 am - up to drink a smoothie, about 700 cal. Hard to get back to bed, so I lay around, do some reading, some resting, and sorta listen to a podcast. At about 3:30, i remember that i had turned on my gamin to let it acquire satellites last night, and forgotten to turn it off. Turned it off, plugged it in, hoping that there will be enough battery by the time I'm back for my wetsuit.
4 am - alarms go off, up and get dressed. Mix my drinks up (should have done this last naught to reduce the amount of foam), fill the aerobottle halfway, and get ready to head up to transition and bodymarking. Remember to write some of this down, so that I don't forget later. More to come...
Swim - 1:14:26 seeded about 6 rows back, towards the middle. Beginning wasn't so bad. Crowded out to the turn. At the turn, it was like being in a whirlpool, you just sat up, and got carried by the current. Still crowded on the way back in, so I ended up inside the buoys, with very few other people. It was funny to look just on the other side of the line and see dozens of people fighting for space. End of one loop, i felt like I'd gone very easy, got out to cross the mat, gave my dad the 'take a picture now' sign (which he missed), and got back in for round two. For some reason, there still wasn't much clear water, and i had to swim around a number of people who were stopping or heading diagonally across the flow of everybody else (man, i hate those guys...). Two or three times, on the way out, i exhaled too forcefully, which loosened the seal on my goggles, causing them to leak. Each time, I flipped over on my back, drained them, and went on swimming. After rounding the second buoy, heading back, i felt the Velcro on my wetsuit slip, and a little cold water on the back of my neck. Next thing i knew, the whole suit opened up, and i was swimming with a parachute. Since there was still quite a swim left, i decided that i was better off getting it zipped back up. Tough to do while treading water, but i got it done. The rest of the swim was very uneventful. Out of the water, got my wetsuit stripped, ran into T1, socks, shoes, helmet, glasses, and i was on my way.
Bike - 6:10:43 the climb out of town was exactly like R&P say, while holding goal watts, i watched everybody, and i mean everybody, blow by me like I was standing still. My cousin and i rode together for a few minutes, until the top of the first. Big climb, so we chatted, laughing about how so many people were time-trialing up the hill. One dude rode up to us, and said "wow, fancy disk wheels, race wheel on the front, aero helmets, and you guys are getting passed by a 60 year old?". Instead of replying, i just kept riding, until the hill started to crest, at which point I was back in the bars, holding goal watts, and gapped him by hundreds of yards in a very short time. Don't think i saw him again... The downhill into Keene was a bit treacherous, as the roads were slick from a rainstorm during the swim, and the winds were strong. The occasional gust would blow me out of the tire-worn tracks in the road, and I'd end up in between, where the road had a high-frequency vibration, making descending in the bars at 48 mph really scary. Into Keene, the trip up to Ausable was flat, and fun. I had the LYC set to show mph, which i haven't looked at much this year. Going all aero, i was consistently seeing speeds north of 24mph on the flats, at goal watts (~160). Very confidence building! The climb up towards Wilmington was another example of the EN hill guidance, as everybody passed me, but only until the crest of the hill, when I'd pass them all again on the downhill, while holding goal watts. The hazelton rd turnaround was interesting, as i watched the guy in front of me endo after locking up his front brake. In a rush to stop, i clipped out, put my foot down, which slid out and bailed on the bike before crashing to the ground myself. I had to laugh about that one. Porta-john stop at the aid station made me feel ready for the climb back into town. Coming back into town, I remembered from the race rehearsal feeling miserable both times, and small ringing most of it. This time, after Patrick's guidance, i paid more attention to spots where I could big ring, and it made a huge difference. Getting to Papa bear was very cool, with hundreds of people on the climb, it really did feel like a TdF stage! Bike special needs was practically empty, so it was a very quick stop for me. I heard Kristin's voice as I was riding through town, which was cool. My sister's voice was like she had a megaphone, though she didn't.
Second loop was much of the same. Felt great through most of it, small moment where i think I'd been a bit light on the water, causing a twinge of nausea, but it went away with some extra focus on water. The crowds really thinned out somewhere at the beginning of the second loop. Very few people I passed stayed with me, except on the climb towards Wilmington. By the time I turned back towards town, i was totally ready to get on the run, which was cool, because it was the latest I'd had that feeling (compared to mile 60 and 80 during the rehearsals). The climb back in was uneventful. I saw my buddy John sitting on the side of papa bear. Getting to mirror lake drive was a terrific feeling, which I just soaked up for the last mile or so. Handing a bike off to a volunteer for T2 is very cool. My transition was quick, just took an extra minute for some sunscreen, which I'd forgotten to do during bike special needs.
For those interested in stats, my NP was 162, and my IF was 0.67 with a VI of 1.06
Run - 4:19:17 As the bike came to an end, i realized a few things. One, I was really looking forward to the run. Two, i had absolutely no idea what to expect. Based on the time of day, it was going to take a very special run to have a shot at a sub-11 hour time (an outside goal), and I wasn't willing to put my goal of running the marathon at risk by going out too fast, so in my mind, I let the thought of 11 hours go. Very quickly, I realized that despite putting it on in bike special needs, intending to turn it on 20-30 minutes out of town, my Garmin was off. So, i knew it would be acquiring satellites for a while, and i needed to go by the feel i remembered from the rehearsals. Patrick ran out to say a few words of encouragement, and remind me to get my nutrition in. The Garmin finally picked up after about a half mile, and I was on the LRP + 30 pace i was looking for (8:30's). It felt easy, which was cool. Going out of town on the first loop was a good feeling, knowing that i was within the first 6 miles, I was doing it right, and that i was feeling strong. The turnaround comes after about 5.5 miles, and that was a point where the race started to feel very long. When i thought about it as a marathon, with over 20 miles still to go, it felt very heavy. So, i got back inside the box of stuff I could control, and continued to focus on aid station to aid station. The hill at the ski jump wasn't too bad, and the flat from there felt great. I saw my wife and kids down by Chair 6, and stopped to give them a kiss. My wife said "what are you doing? Don't stop!". Great support! Up the hill to main street, i saw my sister, brother in law, and aunt, who were going nuts. High fives all around. At that point, i knew that i just had to make it to the tennis courts, and I'd get my special needs bag, so that's what i focused on. Leigh, Dave, Kitima, and Chris G were all at the tent, with words of encouragement and high fives. The first time on the out and back wasn't too bad, and mentally, I felt pretty good about going out for the second loop. Down the hill and out of town was good, easy to focus, though I could tell that my legs were starting to tire. Somehow, i missed Patrick at mile 18, and some time between there and 20, things got pretty tough. Negotiations between mind and body were ongoing, and i conceded walking a short hill, and walking the hill by the ski jumps, as my quads were getting twitchy and on the verge of a cramp. Despite the moderate temperature, i looked at my shorts, and they were covered in salt. Probably should have been doing a little more on the electrolytes. Took a chicken soup at one aid station (man, that stuff is NASTY!), and decided that nothing was going to stop me from running it in. Gus passed me on the hill into town, around mile 24, and we'd been around one another most of the day, so I set my sights on him from the hill all the way to the turn around, when I finally caught up to him. With one mile to go, i knew it was in the bag, and started to enjoy the feelings and thoughts coming over me. That last mile was friggin awesome!!! Into the loop for a victory lap, and a finishing time of 11:53:15.
With everything that went on this spring and summer, my training was what one might call minimal. Many weeks of 3-4 workouts, just hitting the long ones. I think that my peak CTL (3 sport) was about 70. For what I put into it, a sub-12 result was absolutely incredible. Now, I am already dreaming about the next one,maybe in a couple of years, when i can actually take the time I need to really train.
Many thanks to all the unbelievable advice from RnP. I heard their voices all day long, and they were dead on balls accurate (that's a technical term). In particular, advice on looking for speed coming back from whiteface, and running the tangents, made a huge difference in my day. No question, every hill was a true testament to the advice given, as people would kill themselves up the hill, and I would pass them at 150 watts (and 30+mph) on the downhills. Huge thanks to Chris G for the offer of a race wheel. And having the EN tent team of Chris, Kitima, Dave, and Leigh made the stretch on main street totally awesome. I will definitely never forget my first IM!
Mike - One awesome performance for Ironman #1. Your bike was spot on your pre-race expectation, and, given the paucity of run training you had, you had a success by simply continuing to run the whole way (yeah, a couple of hill walks, but, sub 4:20 is basically running the whole thing, in my book.)
If you keep your run speed, and you ever get a chance to put in 12-16 weeks of sufficient pre-race training, sub 11 is definitely a realistic dream.
Nice job on the execution and the report. We must have been very close to each other off the bike, although I'll be t your T1 was faster than mine, so you were probably a couple of minutes ahead of me. Saw you on the run a few times, and you looked strong. Conngrats!
Mike Great execution out there. Way to hold it together with the wetsuit issue. You looked great on the run everytime I saw you. Rest up and good luck with the rest of your season.
Way to go, Mike! You've had one tough year and you were still able to maintain a balance that allowed you to successfully complete you first IM with a stellar performance. Congrats!
Nice job keeping your mouth shut when that 60 year old got all snippy with you! Great to see you out there on the course - you were always running really strong. Congrats!
Congratulations Mike! Very happy for you... remember talking in Boston about the race. Sounds like you really stayed in the box the whole day and ended up with a great result.
Mike, thats a very impressive on a full training cycle and just an amazing performance on 3-4 workouts a week! Enjoy the awesome post IM buzz for a while now, you earned.
Congratulations on an awesome executed first Ironman. You had a huge smile and looked smooth and steady everytime I saw you. Time to bask in the glory of a race well done!
Awesome job Mike! Great that you were able to stay in your box, let some goals go and readjust so you could have a great race. IM #1 done...IM story to be continued...
Congratulations, Mike! You had such a great day...all because you were in control. I am so impressed by the mental fortitude and focus on execution that you brought to your race. It sounds like you really took in the experience and let it become a part of you. I'm sure there were points during the toughest part of your year when this day seemed unimportant, or maybe even impossible. But you have handled things so well and came out with an amazing accomplishment. It is true...you will never forget your first!
One dude rode up to us, and said "wow, fancy disk wheels, race wheel on the front, aero helmets, and you guys are getting passed by a 60 year old?". Instead of replying, i just kept riding, until the hill started to crest, at which point I was back in the bars, holding goal watts, and gapped him by hundreds of yards in a very short time. Don't think i saw him again...
Quoted for EN-awesomeness.
Great work, Mike. It sounds like you executed like a pro, and had a rewarding race as a result!
"One dude rode up to us, and said "wow, fancy disk wheels, race wheel on the front, aero helmets, and you guys are getting passed by a 60 year old?". Instead of replying, i just kept riding, until the hill started to crest, at which point I was back in the bars, holding goal watts, and gapped him by hundreds of yards in a very short time. Don't think i saw him again..."
I'm thinking this is the same crackpot loser who rolled up next to me halfway up the first hill past the ski jumps and said "Looks to me like a lot of you people are feeling slow today."
He stood up on his pedals, started grinding, looked back at me again and said "No reply, huh?"
Second loop i passed him on papa bear and gave him my best staredown but i think he was in the haze of IM exhastion and didnt recognize me.
Comments
2 am - up to drink a smoothie, about 700 cal. Hard to get back to bed, so I lay around, do some reading, some resting, and sorta listen to a podcast. At about 3:30, i remember that i had turned on my gamin to let it acquire satellites last night, and forgotten to turn it off. Turned it off, plugged it in, hoping that there will be enough battery by the time I'm back for my wetsuit.
4 am - alarms go off, up and get dressed. Mix my drinks up (should have done this last naught to reduce the amount of foam), fill the aerobottle halfway, and get ready to head up to transition and bodymarking. Remember to write some of this down, so that I don't forget later. More to come...
Swim - 1:14:26
seeded about 6 rows back, towards the middle. Beginning wasn't so bad. Crowded out to the turn. At the turn, it was like being in a whirlpool, you just sat up, and got carried by the current. Still crowded on the way back in, so I ended up inside the buoys, with very few other people. It was funny to look just on the other side of the line and see dozens of people fighting for space. End of one loop, i felt like I'd gone very easy, got out to cross the mat, gave my dad the 'take a picture now' sign (which he missed), and got back in for round two. For some reason, there still wasn't much clear water, and i had to swim around a number of people who were stopping or heading diagonally across the flow of everybody else (man, i hate those guys...). Two or three times, on the way out, i exhaled too forcefully, which loosened the seal on my goggles, causing them to leak. Each time, I flipped over on my back, drained them, and went on swimming. After rounding the second buoy, heading back, i felt the Velcro on my wetsuit slip, and a little cold water on the back of my neck. Next thing i knew, the whole suit opened up, and i was swimming with a parachute. Since there was still quite a swim left, i decided that i was better off getting it zipped back up. Tough to do while treading water, but i got it done. The rest of the swim was very uneventful. Out of the water, got my wetsuit stripped, ran into T1, socks, shoes, helmet, glasses, and i was on my way.
Bike - 6:10:43
the climb out of town was exactly like R&P say, while holding goal watts, i watched everybody, and i mean everybody, blow by me like I was standing still. My cousin and i rode together for a few minutes, until the top of the first. Big climb, so we chatted, laughing about how so many people were time-trialing up the hill. One dude rode up to us, and said "wow, fancy disk wheels, race wheel on the front, aero helmets, and you guys are getting passed by a 60 year old?". Instead of replying, i just kept riding, until the hill started to crest, at which point I was back in the bars, holding goal watts, and gapped him by hundreds of yards in a very short time. Don't think i saw him again... The downhill into Keene was a bit treacherous, as the roads were slick from a rainstorm during the swim, and the winds were strong. The occasional gust would blow me out of the tire-worn tracks in the road, and I'd end up in between, where the road had a high-frequency vibration, making descending in the bars at 48 mph really scary. Into Keene, the trip up to Ausable was flat, and fun. I had the LYC set to show mph, which i haven't looked at much this year. Going all aero, i was consistently seeing speeds north of 24mph on the flats, at goal watts (~160). Very confidence building! The climb up towards Wilmington was another example of the EN hill guidance, as everybody passed me, but only until the crest of the hill, when I'd pass them all again on the downhill, while holding goal watts. The hazelton rd turnaround was interesting, as i watched the guy in front of me endo after locking up his front brake. In a rush to stop, i clipped out, put my foot down, which slid out and bailed on the bike before crashing to the ground myself. I had to laugh about that one. Porta-john stop at the aid station made me feel ready for the climb back into town. Coming back into town, I remembered from the race rehearsal feeling miserable both times, and small ringing most of it. This time, after Patrick's guidance, i paid more attention to spots where I could big ring, and it made a huge difference. Getting to Papa bear was very cool, with hundreds of people on the climb, it really did feel like a TdF stage! Bike special needs was practically empty, so it was a very quick stop for me. I heard Kristin's voice as I was riding through town, which was cool. My sister's voice was like she had a megaphone, though she didn't.
Second loop was much of the same. Felt great through most of it, small moment where i think I'd been a bit light on the water, causing a twinge of nausea, but it went away with some extra focus on water. The crowds really thinned out somewhere at the beginning of the second loop. Very few people I passed stayed with me, except on the climb towards Wilmington. By the time I turned back towards town, i was totally ready to get on the run, which was cool, because it was the latest I'd had that feeling (compared to mile 60 and 80 during the rehearsals). The climb back in was uneventful. I saw my buddy John sitting on the side of papa bear. Getting to mirror lake drive was a terrific feeling, which I just soaked up for the last mile or so. Handing a bike off to a volunteer for T2 is very cool. My transition was quick, just took an extra minute for some sunscreen, which I'd forgotten to do during bike special needs.
For those interested in stats, my NP was 162, and my IF was 0.67 with a VI of 1.06
Run - 4:19:17
As the bike came to an end, i realized a few things. One, I was really looking forward to the run. Two, i had absolutely no idea what to expect. Based on the time of day, it was going to take a very special run to have a shot at a sub-11 hour time (an outside goal), and I wasn't willing to put my goal of running the marathon at risk by going out too fast, so in my mind, I let the thought of 11 hours go. Very quickly, I realized that despite putting it on in bike special needs, intending to turn it on 20-30 minutes out of town, my Garmin was off. So, i knew it would be acquiring satellites for a while, and i needed to go by the feel i remembered from the rehearsals. Patrick ran out to say a few words of encouragement, and remind me to get my nutrition in. The Garmin finally picked up after about a half mile, and I was on the LRP + 30 pace i was looking for (8:30's). It felt easy, which was cool. Going out of town on the first loop was a good feeling, knowing that i was within the first 6 miles, I was doing it right, and that i was feeling strong.
The turnaround comes after about 5.5 miles, and that was a point where the race started to feel very long. When i thought about it as a marathon, with over 20 miles still to go, it felt very heavy. So, i got back inside the box of stuff I could control, and continued to focus on aid station to aid station. The hill at the ski jump wasn't too bad, and the flat from there felt great. I saw my wife and kids down by Chair 6, and stopped to give them a kiss. My wife said "what are you doing? Don't stop!". Great support! Up the hill to main street, i saw my sister, brother in law, and aunt, who were going nuts. High fives all around. At that point, i knew that i just had to make it to the tennis courts, and I'd get my special needs bag, so that's what i focused on. Leigh, Dave, Kitima, and Chris G were all at the tent, with words of encouragement and high fives. The first time on the out and back wasn't too bad, and mentally, I felt pretty good about going out for the second loop. Down the hill and out of town was good, easy to focus, though I could tell that my legs were starting to tire. Somehow, i missed Patrick at mile 18, and some time between there and 20, things got pretty tough. Negotiations between mind and body were ongoing, and i conceded walking a short hill, and walking the hill by the ski jumps, as my quads were getting twitchy and on the verge of a cramp. Despite the moderate temperature, i looked at my shorts, and they were covered in salt. Probably should have been doing a little more on the electrolytes. Took a chicken soup at one aid station (man, that stuff is NASTY!), and decided that nothing was going to stop me from running it in. Gus passed me on the hill into town, around mile 24, and we'd been around one another most of the day, so I set my sights on him from the hill all the way to the turn around, when I finally caught up to him. With one mile to go, i knew it was in the bag, and started to enjoy the feelings and thoughts coming over me. That last mile was friggin awesome!!! Into the loop for a victory lap, and a finishing time of 11:53:15.
With everything that went on this spring and summer, my training was what one might call minimal. Many weeks of 3-4 workouts, just hitting the long ones. I think that my peak CTL (3 sport) was about 70. For what I put into it, a sub-12 result was absolutely incredible. Now, I am already dreaming about the next one,maybe in a couple of years, when i can actually take the time I need to really train.
Many thanks to all the unbelievable advice from RnP. I heard their voices all day long, and they were dead on balls accurate (that's a technical term). In particular, advice on looking for speed coming back from whiteface, and running the tangents, made a huge difference in my day. No question, every hill was a true testament to the advice given, as people would kill themselves up the hill, and I would pass them at 150 watts (and 30+mph) on the downhills. Huge thanks to Chris G for the offer of a race wheel. And having the EN tent team of Chris, Kitima, Dave, and Leigh made the stretch on main street totally awesome. I will definitely never forget my first IM!
Mike - One awesome performance for Ironman #1. Your bike was spot on your pre-race expectation, and, given the paucity of run training you had, you had a success by simply continuing to run the whole way (yeah, a couple of hill walks, but, sub 4:20 is basically running the whole thing, in my book.)
If you keep your run speed, and you ever get a chance to put in 12-16 weeks of sufficient pre-race training, sub 11 is definitely a realistic dream.
Very solid race, Mike. You really nailed it. Can't wait to see what you do next time!
Nice job on the execution and the report. We must have been very close to each other off the bike, although I'll be t your T1 was faster than mine, so you were probably a couple of minutes ahead of me. Saw you on the run a few times, and you looked strong. Conngrats!
Great execution out there. Way to hold it together with the wetsuit issue. You looked great on the run everytime I saw you. Rest up and good luck with the rest of your season.
Way to go, Mike! You've had one tough year and you were still able to maintain a balance that allowed you to successfully complete you first IM with a stellar performance. Congrats!
Dave
Nice work out there Mike. It was nice to meet you at the dinner and see you out on the course. It feels good to have the first one out of the way, eh?
Time to bask in the glory of a race well done!
Congrats!!
Mike,
Great job on IM #1 and we will have to add that technical term to the wiki.
Gordon
OK, Ironman, here's to a well deserved recovery!
Great job Mike, really enjoyed watching you race and reading your report! Gets me psyched up to race IM next year!
Quoted for EN-awesomeness.
Great work, Mike. It sounds like you executed like a pro, and had a rewarding race as a result!
"One dude rode up to us, and said "wow, fancy disk wheels, race wheel on the front, aero helmets, and you guys are getting passed by a 60 year old?". Instead of replying, i just kept riding, until the hill started to crest, at which point I was back in the bars, holding goal watts, and gapped him by hundreds of yards in a very short time. Don't think i saw him again..."
I'm thinking this is the same crackpot loser who rolled up next to me halfway up the first hill past the ski jumps and said "Looks to me like a lot of you people are feeling slow today."
He stood up on his pedals, started grinding, looked back at me again and said "No reply, huh?"
Second loop i passed him on papa bear and gave him my best staredown but i think he was in the haze of IM exhastion and didnt recognize me.